


Book Commentary: Here, There Be Dragons

by mlmcg12



Series: Book Blog Transcripts [6]
Category: Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica - James A. Owen
Genre: Cross-Posted on WordPress, Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 5,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28946484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlmcg12/pseuds/mlmcg12
Series: Book Blog Transcripts [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2123052





	1. Prologue

  * Cinnamon tobacco? That’s very distinctive and vaguely foreshadow-y.
  * Two pages in, and someone’s already dead. That’s always fun.




	2. The Adventure Begins

  * John With-No-Last-Name is on medical leave from the military during World War 1. OK. (Must refrain from always mentioning foreshadowing I may have missed during previous readings of the series… or not. Yeah, I’m probably gonna forget and keep making vague mentions of “OH! THAT’S THE THING!”)
  * Trauma nightmares that sound like Mordor? Cool. (Although JAO described it more like Pompeii, but whatever…)
  * Dudes who look like dogs? So, like, werewolves?
  * Jack and Charles round out the trio. Also suspiciously with no last names.
  * John knew the dead professor because he was a linguistics student? I know it’s early in the book and this is helping to do characterization and stuff, but STAHP WITH THE TONS OF FORESHADOWING ALREADY.
  * The professor was murdered with a, um, very antique Roman spear? Yeah, that’s not really weird at all.
  * Professor Sigurdsson’s murder took place on the Ides of March – Definitely a Shakespeare reference, but was that death day actually historically accurate or just another liberty taken by Shakespeare? I mean, I do vaguely remember the date in history books for school, but again, how accurate was that?
  * John, Jack, and Charles ended up at 221B Baker Street? Seriously?
  * “‘You’re young,’ said Charles. ‘You may find time and experience curb your taste for adventure.'” Really, Charles? Y’all have no idea what you’re saying to Jack…
  * Weird Dude Outside is wearing an outfit inspired of the works of the Brothers Grimm. WTF? (I’d say Obaday Fing from China Mieville’s _UnLunDun_ having a similar outfit was referenced here, but apparently _Here, There Be Dragons_ was published a year earlier. Also, Obaday Fing was _literally_ wearing the books, not figuratively.)
  * Twenty pounds of misery in a ten-pound sack? I’ve seen Mythbusters test that, but with the phrase being twenty pounds of, um… poo.




	3. An Unusual Tale

I apologize in advance if this ends up being a weird review. I’m immediately starting this after doing the first part of my _Twilight_ review, and my brain is fried.

  * I mean, seriously, Bert, who wouldn’t be sitting there shocked after you roll up in your weird outfit all like, “Hey, John (you’re John, right?), you know Professor Sigurdsson’s dead? Also, how cool is this place ACD’s got, right? Oh, right, did the Professor give you your assignment?” 
    * And of course John’s all polite instead of going “Dude, what?”
  * No, but really, I’d be a bit more pissed than the trio is at Bert for just going on about the _Geographica_ with no context.
  * “It looks like a book” is Jack’s response to the _Geographica_ being described as the world. No. Shit.
  * I think I just had a Freudian slip? Or maybe I’m just tired (and have a lot of brain-fried-ness) from writing this at one in the morning after trying to review _Twilight_. I meant to pull up the Google Doc I started for collecting cultural references in the series so I could add all the places Bert mentioned offhand as being in the _Geographica_ , but instead of clicking on “docs.google.com” when typing “D” in my search history, I clicked on the webpage for a local movie theater that’s about to show a movie by Yann Gonzalez with a score from M83. I’ve got M83 playing in the background when writing the CotIG reviews, and I’ve been meaning to mention one of their songs later in the series…
  * But anyway…
  * Here’s the first time the Archipelago of Dreams is actually called that.
  * I almost feel like I should really be listening to the _Spy Kids 2_ soundtrack instead of M83 when doing these reviews because I can’t help but have the headcanon that the island in that is actually in the Archipelago. 
    * [This trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tTJ7kMgANg) doesn’t do said headcanon justice, but close enough.
  * I love how John’s finally like “Whoa! Bert! Dude! Slow down! Beginning please?”
  * The werewolf dudes are Wendigo? OK. Sure. Although I usually picture those guys like this:



  * Or this:




	4. Flight to the Harbor

  * Yeah… That description of how to become a Wendigo was… disturbing. Also the description of their involvement in Professor Sigurdsson’s death.
  * So, basically, the _Indigo Dragon_ is the ship version of the “three kids stacked on top of each other trying to sneak into an R-rated movie while wearing a trenchcoat” trope. 
    * I’ve also heard the trope used for the English language as being “three languages stacked on top of each other and trying to pass as a language,” which I’m sure would’ve made John laugh if he was around to hear it.
  * “‘And where is home port exactly?’ asked Jack.” Jack’s over here asking the real shit because Bert kinda sucks at explaining things (even if there is a time crunch). 
    * I feel like I’m going to keep complaining about Bert’s inability to explain things because I’m one of those people who kinda want All The Important Details Fully Explained ASAP Because Anxiety.
  * And here’s Aven! 
    * Odd sidebar time: So, I didn’t pick up this book for the first time until just before Christmas 2011. But over Christmas 2007, I was going through my _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movie phase and my Neil Gaiman’s _Stardust_ phase (and one of my recurring _Narnia_ phases)… which is important because around that time I was trying to come up with a PotC AU that involved Gibbs having a daughter who was basically modeled after Yvaine in _Stardust_ but a pirate, minus the whole “being a star” bit. And no, this AU isn’t on my AO3 account because I ended up being too lazy to actually write it, and at this point, I don’t remember enough of the details to try to start some version of it.
    * Four years after coming up with that AU, I was reading _Here, There Be Dragons_ like “hey, wait a minute…”
  * Oh, cool. First there’s an ancient Roman sword, and now there’s _ancient Egyptian spears_.
  * So, Aven mentioned Jamie… the first vague mention of previous Caretakers. I think?
  * Dammit, Jack, stop hitting on Aven after only knowing her a matter of minutes! (OK, I suddenly realize this could sound like a _Doctor Who_ joke when out-of-context.)
  * “Did you think a man who turns evil and eats the flesh of his friends had to have a Cockney accent?” I mean, if some of the theories about Jack the Ripper are true, then yes, Aven, that’s totally not out of the realm of possibility.
  * On the discussion between Jack and Bert regarding the _Indigo Dragon_ ‘s color: So, like, indigo’s not quite blue but not quite purple… Imagine if the _Indigo Dragon_ was the _Blurple Dragon_? (And then the third book in the CotIG series would be _The Blurple King_.) Shit. Now I’m going to be thinking _Blurple Dragon_ all night…



  * Here we go… the first passing mention of the _Black Dragon_.
  * …It’s been a while for me. Is the end of this chapter… No, I guess the Official Frontier isn’t until later? But they’re still on the way to the Archipelago now.




	5. Avalon

  * No, but seriously. It’s been so long since I’ve read this (and the series in general?) that I forgot where the Official Frontier to the Archipelago is.
  * Charles was the one with the undigested-mustard-and-cheese nightmare? That’s one of the most ridiculous _Christmas Carol_ puns I’ve heard in a while…
  * Bert saying their first stop is Avalon is the first Arthurian reference in the series, right?
  * So, of the two goat-people-hybrids from Greek myths, fauns are more suited for a ship’s crew… because apparently satyrs take the drunken sailor trope to the extreme.
  * God, Charles’ reaction to all this sounds like Susan’s reaction to first entering Narnia…
  * Wait, hold up. Did the one faun actually break Charles’ toes in response to Charles’ reaction, or were they just bruised? And how badly was his foot hurt really? Because I don’t remember whether or not the whole thing was brought up again.
  * Avalon’s definitely one of those places that are still really pretty even when everything there is falling apart and getting reclaimed by nature.
  * So, not only is the first reference to Avalon from Arthurian legends, it’s the first appearance of the series of Green Knights.
  * Anybody know who exactly was involved in the current Green Knight’s backstory? Because I kinda feel like that’s one of those cultural references that’s gone way over my head because it’s something I haven’t read/watched/whatever. ~~(Unless he is actually Lancelot and I completely missed the official confirmation in his appearance in I think either _The Shadow Dragons_ or _The Dragon’s Apprentice_ … And here I am spoiling shit again.)~~
  * OK, yep, Avalon is the Official Frontier Marker ~~since the destruction of Atlantis.~~
  * The Morgaine are immediately introduced as something like the Witches from _Macbeth_ , but the further into the conversation with them it gets, they also give off similar vibes to the three witches from _The Chronicles of Prydain_ (especially Cul, who reminds me of… Dammit, I need to reread the _Prydain_ books again.)
  * They’re already calling King Arthur “Wart” like in _The Once and Future King_ , which also seems to be inspiration for the nickname “Bug.” (Fun fact: when I was a kid, I’d occasionally jokingly call my mom’s brother “Bug,” partially because he’d kinda bug my grandma, who he still lived with at the time, and partially because it rhymed with his name, Doug.)
  * OK, so, they just unloaded a lot of shit when talking about the cooking cauldron: Ceridwen said it’s not the infamous Black Cauldron (which will appear later), said Black Cauldron has raven designs all over it (ravens = recurring theme?), the Morgaine already knew Magwich stole it, and apparently Charles will eventually steal the “Maggot” nickname from Ceridwen and Cul.
  * “‘Putting things into it was easy,’ said Celedriel. ‘It was taking them out again that was hard-because once it was open, there was no telling what would escape.'” Oh, the foreshadowing.
  * Bug wants to be a knight when he grows up. Oh, boy, you have no idea…
  * “‘But without the Mapmaker’s heir, all is lost,’ said Ceridwen.” Oh. OH… That’s some _Dragon’s Apprentice_ shit right there…
  * So, apparently, the Green Knight’s final duty was to, uh, send Bug to “restock” the _Indigo Dragon_. Also, who’s Lucie? That just reaffirms that I still have no idea what his backstory was referencing.




	6. The Corsair

  * Yes, John, this is totally Australia. (No, I’m kidding.)
  * Nobody knows what made the Drowned Lands sink. ~~Yet.~~ But Bert’s comment about it possibly being an angel’s fault was surprisingly close to the mark, even if “inattentive” wasn’t actually true. Also, please someone remind me to bring up my headcanon about Islington from Neil Gaiman’s _Neverwhere_ when I get to _The First Dragon_.
  * Lovely. The “surviving” inhabitants of the Drowned Lands may have been turned into creatures vaguely reminiscent of the mermaids in _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_.
  * Anyway, welcome to the first reference to Atlantis in the series. Or maybe the last? Time travel is weird.
  * The line of the Silver Throne was supposed to have ended twenty years before the events of this book. *Squints suspiciously at Bug*
  * Who’s this Winter King dude? He sounds fun.
  * After the whole bit about the Winter King trying to send the whole Archipelago into Shadows, I’m getting Sauron vibes from him, ~~especially given some of the backstory of how he became the Winter King in~~ ~~ _The Dragons of Winter_~~ ~~and~~ ~~ _The First Dragon_~~ ~~being vaguely reminiscent of the Sauron/Morgoth thing in~~ ~~ _LotR_~~ ~~. Except the Winter King ended up getting a pretty awesome redemption arc.~~
  * John has to do translating of some Old Saxon. Oh dear… Please not John and Old Saxon…
  * Yes, please do sail in a general “that way” direction…
  * Important question: Who’s Jamie, and why’s Aven pissed he quit as Caretaker? Wait, never mind about the who (JM Barrie), but still why?
  * So, Bug ended up stowing away on the _Indigo Dragon_. He’s so overeager to be a knight for so much of this book, I’m always half-expecting him to go running around like Chekhov in _Star Trek_ like “I can do zat!”
  * Did John seriously ask why Bug didn’t just ask to go on the ship instead of following along with the Green Knight’s plan for him to be a stowaway? Really, John? Did you not get any inkling of Aven’s personality the whole way to Avalon? Or even the way between the Frontier and now?
  * What do you mean that the _Nautilus_ , er, the _Yellow Dragon_ , doesn’t look like this?



  * But anyway, nice to see that CotIG is up there with _Once Upon a Time_ and _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ in adaptations that don’t whitewash Nemo. 
    * Speaking of the OUAT Nemo, who else here wants Faran Tahir to voice Aslan in the new Netflix version of Narnia?
  * There are some romantic undertones between Aven and Nemo already, and “shipping” seems way too appropriate here. (Also, can Aven/Nemo/Bug be a thing because sequels?)
  * Every time I get to the bit with Bug asking about destroying the _Geographica_ and Nemo saying someone already tried, I always picture that bit in the _Fellowship of the Ring_ movie with Gimli smashing the Ring with his axe and bouncing off it.
  * Nemo coming back so soon? You sure, Charles?
  * After that conversation about trying to turn the _Indigo Dragon_ to not get rammed by the _Black Dragon_ : 
    * I’m getting a slight bit of foreshadowing for a conversation later in the book with Samaranth, and I think it’s him who was like “y’all can’t just order around dragons just for the hell of it,” and
    * Ballet dancer _Blurple Dragon_. (I swear I’m not drunk. I don’t drink, but if I did ever decide to do a drunk readthrough of the series, my commentaries would probably be an even bigger mess.)
  * Jack’s plan to try to save the _Indigo Dragon_ is insane. Can I call him YOLO Jack now?
  * I know Aven’s stressed about the meeting on Paralon and, um… lots of stuff, but PLEASE STOP YELLING AT JOHN FOR EVERYTHING!




	7. The Tick-Tock Parliament

  * Can everyone but Charles and Bug please stop hating on John for not knowing how to be in charge of the Caretakers because Professor Sigurdsson died before giving him enough info on how to do his job? Especially Jack and Aven? And even John? Because right now I really want to step into the book and slap them senseless. 
    * You know, that would be a fun job, jumping into fictional universes to punch characters for being idiots. I’d really like that job now… especially if I can get paid for it…
  * John’s outburst at Jack… Is this… is this an accurate portrayal of PTSD symptoms? Because that’s a rare thing in fiction.
  * “Maybe the Council’s gonna appoint a new king!” This is another one of those “Oh, you have no idea, Bug…” moments.
  * “Paralon was big, but then again, they were barely in the Archipelago.” Yeah, OK.
  * I’m dying… Camelot wanted to be Paralon when it grew up.
  * The best thing Paralon’s got going isn’t the military, it’s… food? That’s actually reassuring…
  * So, Jack’s over here crushing on Aven, Bug’s over here Chekhov-ing it up, and Charles is… going to help Tummeler with what looks to be a car.
  * Also, TUMMELER!
  * Wait, Tummeler mentioned Pryderi from Welsh legends went to Oxford? OK… Literally all I know about the guy is the condensed version of his part of the Mabinogion this Welsh game dev team loosely worked into the plot of _Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches_. (It’s a fun game, by the way. ~~Except for the Ogham rune stone puzzle on day two.~~ ) And… I forgot where I was going with this.
  * Ah, yes… Who can forget Tummeler’s, um, interesting grammar. Then again, he is a Badger, so is badger his first language, or is it English?
  * So, his steampunk car is actually a principle called the Curious Diversity. And principles… basically work on the driver’s willpower? 
    * Also, how did Tummeler come up with that name in particular?
  * So, animals can’t explain how principles work well enough in English because of translation issues, maybe Tummeler’s first language is badger?
  * If the city of Paralon is made out of white stone, does that mean it’s supposed to look something like Minas Tirith?
  * These Troll Kings… Arawn’s name has to be a reference to the villain from the Prydain books. And is his father Sarum’s name somehow related to Saruman from LOTR?
  * Five great races in the Archipelago: Trolls, Goblins, Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Yeah, that doesn’t sound familiar or suspiciously like massive foreshadowing at all…
  * The Winter King couldn’t take over because he’d have to paint everything black. Yeah, OK…
  * Ah, yes… the whole elves and dwarves rivalry… Nice trope you’ve set up there, Tolkien…
  * Talking mice can captain ships… Nice.
  * Something’s really off about the Parliament when they show up. This is about to be fun.
  * “Guess what! We’ve got a new bloodright claim to the throne!” Told you this was gonna be fun.
  * OK, yeah, something’s really up if, when Bert’s just like, “bitch, where?,” the Parliament doesn’t recognize him as a Caretaker when they’re supposed to.
  * Also, on the one hand, of course the Winter King’s the one who’s making the claim. On the other hand, how?
  * And now the members of the Parliament are glitching out. OK…
  * So, the whole thing with the Parliament malfunctioning is supposed to be _Alice in Wonderland_ -level ridiculousness until it gets terrifying. But when I think of glitchy clockwork people malfunctioning, I think of the clockwork people from the _Doctor Who_ episode “The Girl in the Fireplace” (and I’d honestly love for the Parliament to look and act more like that if and when the CotIG adaptations work out).




	8. The Forbidden Path

  * Oh, fun. The destruction of Paralon is giving John More War Flashbacks.
  * Also, apparently the Trolls were gonna Try Taking Over even without the chaos caused by the Winter King and his Replacement Tick-Tock Parliament?
  * So, yeah, they can’t escape from the main harbor because the Trolls likely blocked it. And because the _Indigo Dragon_ decided



  * Tummeler to the rescue!
  * So they’re taking the Secret Animals and Royals Road.



  * “Will we get in trouble for going into the ruins of the Original Paralon City? It can’t be worse than what’s going on in Current Paralon City.”
  * Bug’s over here “So, Trauma From Horrible Deaths is what freaked you out? Oh, OK, I gotcha.”
  * “Right, y’all, we’re going this way to the Secret Animal Hideout.” “But what about going north to get to the _Indigo Dragon_?” “Um… yeah, we’ll only get so far doing that with the Winter King still after us.”
  * “Something’s been bothering me. That Steward of Paralon looked suspiciously familiar.” “It’s probably only because he was the first one like ‘ight imma head out’ during the mess with the Clockwork Parliament and had a hand in the whole thing.” I mean, Bert’s not exactly wrong, but… Please listen to John, y’all. Sure, he messed up with the _Geographica_ a few times, but seriously. Listen to him.
  * A Secret Door with a clue to the Secret Password carved in Elvish… *squints suspiciously in LOTR* 
    * And _John_ is the one who thought that was a dumb idea?
  * “Wait, Eledin came up with the riddle? Is that like some Aladdin shit?” *sarcastically guesses the password* “You’re my new BFF, Scowler Charles.”
  * “What’s with the skeletons?” “Oh, those are just props. I hope…”
  * I love how Samaranth’s first lines basically boil down to




	9. An Invitation to Tea

  * “Tea or death? Yeah, who picks death?” “Probably Cambridge guys, huh?” “Knock it off, guys. This is Samaranth, the last dragon in the Archipelago plus the chief dragon plus the first dragon in the Archipelago.”
  * Samaranth knows what’s up with Bug but Bug doesn’t know what’s up with Bug.
  * Hooray for Leprechaun crackers. Which are apparently not made of Actual Leprechauns. I… what exactly… how do Leprechaun crackers or tea biscuits translate into American snacks?
  * Does… does Samaranth… trade gold and jewels? Way to promote bad dragon stereotypes, Charles. Samaranth is a Book Dragon, obviously.
  * “No, Bert, we haven’t actually met, but I do hear things about stuff going on in the Archipelago anyway. Now, what’s up out there?” “Um… The Parliament got replaced by robots, Paralon is burning, and the Winter King is trying to take over.” “You’re an Animal. What do you know about these robots, Tummeler?” “There aren’t actually any more actual royals in the Archipelago. But they weren’t supposed to? do that?”
  * So now they have to go take the _Geographica_ to the Cartographer of Lost Places to destroy it. *squints in LOTR again*
  * “So, John, you never got formal Caretaker training?” “Not really?” “You sure about that?” “OK, maybe some vague training I didn’t know was training?” “YOU? FUCKING? SURE? ABOUT? THAT? ??????” “OK, I did get ‘Here, There Be Dragons’ pretty quickly.” “Good.” “Also… it’s on every map in a bunch of languages… OH!”
  * Everyone’s like “OK, how do we leave and avoid the trolls?” but Samaranth is just over here like “Sarum was cool, but this Arawn guy’s a douche.”
  * And then he’s just like “Hey, take this. It could come in handy. Yeah, that’s the High King’s ring. I made it for the line of Arthur, and I can take it away just as easily as I gave it if the High Kings suck at ruling because they get too power-hungry. Just… it isn’t all y’all think it is. That’s all I’ll say without giving away spoilers.”
  * And John finally figured out how to translate the _Geographica_.
  * So they’re finally back to the _Indigo Dragon_ and are about to go find the Cartographer, and Tummeler’s just like “Hey, I can’t go with y’all, but have a copy of my cookbook!”




	10. Into the Shadows

  * Hey, Jack, obvious crush on Aven is obvious. Stop being jealous of Bug and John.
  * And the shadowy places the Winter King took over probably aren’t completely destroyed, which is good.
  * The people from the Shadowed Lands become Shadow-Born, which are worse than the Wendigo. Apparently they can’t die, as far as anyone knows. And nobody knows how they actually get turned into Shadow-Born once the Winter King takes over. ~~Yet. Although foreshadowing was already a thing.~~
  * Oof. A quarter of the places in the _Geographica_ are already taken over by the Winter King. That’s a scary thought.
  * So, the _Indigo Dragon_ is like a day out from the Cartographer’s island, and the _Black Dragon_ shows up because of course it does.
  * “What do you see in the telescope?” “Trouble.” “No shit.” “I meant _Shadow-Born_ trouble.”
  * Jack wants to turn the _Indigo Dragon_ to face the _Black Dragon_ , and he’s getting Bug to help with A Thing. This is going to be nuts, isn’t it?
  * So, they just blew a hole through the _Black Dragon_ s masts, and it’s still going. And the fact that the _Black Dragon_ apparently has an actual dragon like the other Dragonships is Not Good.
  * And now the _Black Dragon_ is almost on the _Indigo Dragon_ , and John’s run off to the cabin. And ~~everyone’s~~ Jack’s still being super rude about his PTSD.
  * OK, John’s finally back to fight right as soon as the fight’s basically over and the _Indigo Dragon_ gets taken over.
  * Oh, fun. The Shadow-Born are… basically stealing the crew’s shadows and turning them into basically zombies.
  * And now the Winter King is here in person. When it got mentioned that he’s missing his right hand, the first time I read this, I half-jokingly was like “So, like, is he Captain Hook or something?” ~~Oh, how right I’d be in _The Search for the Red Dragon._~~
    * Also, I keep imagining him as looking like Miles Richardson because _Doctor Who_ expanded canon reasons that I’ll probably explain more in _The Indigo King_ , even though the Winter King is described as Not Really Looking Like Miles Richardson.
    * Unless…



  * So now the Winter King is… basically sizing up all the Important Peeps on the _Indigo Dragon_.
  * OK, honestly, I didn’t like the Winter King at first, but he kinda grew on me, especially starting in _The Dragon’s Apprentice_. (I would say the end of _The Shadow Dragons_ , since that book’s like, a huge turning point in the series, but honestly, that book kinda bored me…) ~~Because redemption arcs are fun. Especially because this one was actually done well.~~
  * John’s over here like “OK, fine. Have the _Imaginarium Geographica_. It’s in the cabin, all wrapped up for you.” Everyone’s over here freaking out about him doing that and not paying attention to the suspicious wording about it being suspiciously wrapped up.
  * And now the Winter King’s like “Oh, one last thing. Magwich sucks as my right hand man, as it were. Jack shows promise. Wanna trade?”
  * Oh, fun. The Actual Kings and Queens that the Winter King replaced with the Clockwork Parliament are the four Shadow-Born he brought with him.
  * Jack’s seriously considering the Winter King’s offer to join him, but then he’s like, “nah.”
  * And now the Winter King’s leaving and ordering the destruction of the _Indigo Dragon_.




	11. Marooned

  * Oh, right. The Winter King did just ditch Magwich with the _Indigo Dragon_ after ordering the ship destroyed, didn’t he?
  * Fun. The _Indigo Dragon_ sank, John started drowning because he didn’t want to give up his coat (and everyone thinks it’s another case of PTSD shock), Magwich is knocked out, and the ~~eagles~~ cranes are coming to save everyone.
  * Fuck. This chapter and the next are some of those “Very Important Exposition” chapters that bore the hell out of me, even though they’re packed with Backstory.
  * Oh, yay. Here’s the beginning of the “calling him Maggot” joke.



  * This dude from the _Black Cauldron_ movie is who Magwich reminds me of. Because of reasons.
  * I’m just facepalming over here at Bug saying he likes Aven in wet clothes when she says she hates sleeping in them.
  * OK, yep. It was Magwich who followed John from London to Oxford.
  * Lovely. John didn’t want to lose his coat because he had the _Imaginarium Geographica_ in it, and he’d actually given the Winter King the copy of Tummeler’s cookbook.
  * ~~Speaking of which, can I finish this chapter before dinner? Probably not.~~
  * Magwich is… good for one thing? He totally just revealed that the Winter King wants the _Geographica_ to find the royal ring and use the dragon summoning spell to completely take over the Archipelago.
  * So, a lion just showed up. OK.
  * OK, this lion kinda reminds me of Llyan from the Prydain books, and… something about the gang staying with Ordo Maas reminds me of… something else in the Prydain books, but I forget what.
  * Yay Tummeler reference!
  * Also, Ordo Maas is a friend of all animals.
  * ~~Oh, whoops. I was closer to the end of the chapter than I thought when I stopped for dinner.~~




	12. The Shipbuilder

  * Is this one of those backstory chapters that kinda bored me even though _backstory_? I feel like it is. 
    * Also, I woke up with a pulled muscle in my neck _yesterday_ from sleeping weird, and it still hurts… which means I’m enjoying this less.
  * Also, yeah, it’s been a while, but I still haven’t gotten caught up on the Prydain books in a while, so I still forget who Ordo Maas reminds me of.
  * OK, so Ordo Maas is the dude who built the Dragonships. Also, the fact that the homes on the building were made from one of his older ships is totally not suspicious at all.
  * Oh, right, in addition to whatshisface from Prydain, I’m also getting Beorn vibes from Ordo Maas with how the Caretakers are chilling at his house and getting backstory stuff.
  * Oh… Oh… So Ordo Maas did make a _First Dragon_ reference here in saying that he was there during the sinking of Atlantis. (Also there’s a reference to him being Noah?) Hooray for “foreshadowing I totally missed earlier.”
  * *Squints suspiciously at Ordo Maas getting Fire from his dad.*
  * *Squints suspiciously at Ordo Maas getting a huge “kettle” with Perseus’ shield as a lid.*
  * *Squints suspiciously at Ordo Maas’ wife getting kicked out of the Archipelago for opening the kettle.*
  * *Squints suspiciously in general.*
  * So, after the Great Flood, Ordo Maas built (rebuilt?) the Red Dragon.
  * And here’s the reveal that King Arthur was in charge of both England and the Archipelago because dragons.
  * So, the Dragonships’ eyes are what let the ships do their dragon thing. Because the eyes are the windows to the soul or something?
  * OK, so, the Black Dragon isn’t one that Ordo Maas built. So that totally doesn’t sound suspicious at all.
  * Ordo Maas retired to become a Cat-Herder, which involves knowing the cats’ true names. Is this the first instance of the whole inclusion of the “knowing a name is power” thing? 
    * Yes. Yes it is.
  * Also, the fact that nobody knows the Winter King’s true name (yet) is probably going to come up again.
  * Random side note: I know I already talked about being in pain from my pulled muscle, but can I stop sneezing already? I could’ve sworn I already got over that cold I had the other day.
  * So, Bug doesn’t know his own true name because the Morgaine always called him Bug.
  * Oh, fun. Bug’s also been to Byblos when he was Way Too Young To Remember.
  * Also, apparently Bug’s almost 20? For some reason, I thought he was younger.
  * So, Bug’s mom was the last king’s youngest daughter, who barely survived the massacre of the rest of the royal family. And she died on Byblos after giving up Bug.
  * Apparently Bug’s name is actually Artus. And he was adopted by the Pandora or the Morgaine because there was nobody to take care of him on Byblos.
  * So John gave Bug… uh, Artus, the ring from Samaranth.
  * And Artus could take the Silver Throne, but he’s totally screwed as long as the Winter King still wants to take over.
  * So King Archibald’s fuckery with apparently being the first person to attempt to use the, uh… the Totally Not The Black Cauldron to create the Shadow-Born was basically “good intentions gone wrong.” 
    * So, yeah, it’s Pandora’s Box.
  * Anyway, that whole thing is why Samaranth took back the royal ring and all the related power and stuff.
  * Oh. Oh… So it was Archibald who killed his whole family?
  * OK, so, it was Magwich who got the Pandora’s Box for Archibald? Yeah, sounds about right.



**Author's Note:**

> See also https://mmcgui12sbookblog.home.blog/


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